This is a recruitment thread for the new Fire Mountain Games AP – Way of the Wicked.

Campaign Summary:The Kingdom of Talingarde is the most noble, virtuous, peaceful nation in the known world. Herein is the story of how you burned this insipid paradise to the ground.
It's only fair. They burned you first.
They condemned you for your wicked deeds. They branded you. They shipped you to the worst prison in the kingdom. In three days, you die. In three days, the do-gooders pray they'll be rid of you.
They've given you three days. The fools, that's more than you need to break out. And then, it will be their turn to face the fire.

There is a preview located HERE that is free to download, and includes a section for Players from page 24 to 29.

Major Campaign Notes:
Talingarde will remain unchanged from its presentation in the AP – but it will be located in Golarion. It sits off the coast of Varisia in the spot that Hermea is currently (which means Hermea doesn’t exist in this Golarion). It is isolated from the mainland and exists primarily as a nation in a bubble for the purposes of the AP – but you can use any and all of the Golarion flavor you like.
Mitra will be changed to a combination of Erastil and Iomedae. Those are the two religions that have traction and approval within the Talingarde government. Iomedae will be focused more in the cities and will be the religion of choice for most of the major foes; but Erastil will be extensively present in the smaller villages and the preferred religion of the masses outside the walls of the city.

I also want to further flavor the AP by means of a shared party focus. This will take shape as follows:
1. Worship of Asmodeus or one of his underlings such as Belial or Mammon, etc. is required.
2. Each character will need some tie to devil-kind. This could be an interest in their summoning or binding, fealty sworn or worship, a tainted blood history, etc.
3. I will allow people to pitch characters that start out as either Imps or Gaavs (with some restrictions); and have an ultimate character goal of being promoted through the ranks of devil-kind. Such advancements would be conducted during the PbP through rituals at appropriate places. It may seem like this is a strange choice, but there are means provided within the AP to lessen some of the issues that you think you might have overtly playing a devil.

Gaav Details:

You would start with a single outsider HD, +2 Natural Armor and your claw attacks. Ability Mods: Str +2, Dex +4, Con +2, Int -2, Cha -2
No flight, though ground speed upped to 20ft. Keep the Superior Grappler ability and Noxious Breath.
Spell like abilities reduced to just dancing lights, detect magic and mage hand. No Summon.
No DR, Resistances reduced to only Resist Fire 10, Immune Poison.
Though this is still subject to change and review if anyone chooses this path. You would gradually gain the rest of the Gaav’s abilities over levels 2-4, and be ready to take your first potential character level (or devilish promotion) at Level 5

Imp Details:

You would start with a single outsider HD, +1 Natural Armor. Abilities Str: -2, Dex: +4, Cha +2
No DR, Resistances reduced to Resist Fire 10, Immune Poison. Sting attack kept.
Wings are mutilated – so reduced to ground speed of 20ft only. Fast healing reduced to 1.
Spell like abilities reduced to detect good, detect magic, augury 1/day and suggestion 1/day. Keep change shape.
Though this is still subject to change and review if anyone chooses this path. You would gradually gain the rest of the Imp’s abilities over levels 2-3, and be ready to take your first potential character level (or devilish promotion) at Level 4

Posting Requirements:
I am looking for people that can check in on the thread at least a couple of times a day, and post at least 1/day on weekdays. Weekends are more relaxed. I’m expecting a new addition to the family in a month or two – and things will slow down somewhat (but not stop) until my sleep patterns return to normal.

Feel free to pop into my profile and take a peek at the campaigns that I currently DM if you’d like to get a feel for how I go about things.

Crunch Application Guidelines:1. Stat generation I am tempted to stick with 25pt buy rather than the focus / foible method dictated by the book.
2. In line with the specific focus of the AP, Alignment must be either NE or LE. Anti-Paladins are possible, and must be LE.
3. HP Max @ 1st
4. Core Races – i.e. only those in the Core Rulebook; except for the devil option and I'm potentially open to tieflings.
5. Classes - no restrictions, though no firearms and Eastern based classes will be more challenging to justify.
6. You start with zero wealth or gear
7. Two traits – one of which is determined by your crime.
8. All Paizo content is fine (just give me a book reference), and 3PP may be considered on a case by case basis.

Fluff Application Guidelines:
Obviously this is an evil campaign – and the players will be conducting themselves in a manner suiting the storyline. That said the level of squick will be tailored to the players ultimately selected.
Please keep in mind that the premise of the AP is that you will be working together as a group with the ultimate goal of bringing Talingarde to its knees in Asmodeus name. Pitching an antisocial psychopath that hates everyone and just wants to run around killing is unlikely to be well received.
I’d also like you to tell me who your favorite villain is, and why. Can be drawn from any source – such as TV, books, homebrew campaigns, etc. Doesn’t need to have any specific connection to your character, I’m just a curious fellow.

What do you Need to Post Now for an Application:1. Stat breakdown
2. Class and Race – including any Archetypes and Alternate Features. If you choose the option of starting as a Gaav or Imp; please include what your ultimate goal is as far as promotion within devil-kind goes.
3. Skills, Feats and traits summary
4. Basic backstory / personality
5. Details of your crime and how you were caught. Please keep in mind that you are a level 1 character for this.
6. Favorite Villain from real life or fiction; and why?

I don’t need full sheets or profiles at this point, they can come post selection.

Recruitment Timeline:
Recruitment will be up for as long as it takes to get a decent list of applicants together, though at least 4-5 days minimum.

I will be looking at a party of 5 for this PbP – however one spot is spoken for and will be filled by a Summoner. That leaves four more spaces up for grabs.

Fire away with any questions that you might have and I shall endeavour to answer them.

I heard interesting things about this AP and I would love to be a part of this adventure. But for a full disclosure I must say that I have already applyed for it on the other thread that is going on here on the recruitment boards. If you are alright with it DM Voice I would like to apply for yours also. If I get selected for any of them I will withdraw my submission from the other.

I would like to submit this character for your consideration. It was designed for the WoW AP and i made the necessary changes to fit your guide lines. Please let me know if there is any problem.

Favorite villain: Hum, thats a tough one. I have a deep respect for Darth Vader. Besides the looks, the powers and the spaceships the guy cut off the hand of his own SON. You don't get much more badass.

Andreas was the son of Ormond Durandal, a once famous cleric of Asmodeus. After the Church of Asmodeus fell, Ormond and his family went into hiding.

Andreas was secretly brought up to worship Asmodeus by his father, and at a young age his father sacrificed his mother to call a devil to their aid in the now good infested Tallengarde. However, A devil never appeared, and Ormond started to lose his faith.

In truth, something was called. That night something inside Andreas started to change. He wouldn't call it voices, more like urges. Urges that would drive his emotions out of control. As Andreas started to come of age, his Father started to slowly embrace these new religions, and to change his ways. He even tried to get Andreas to 'see the light.' Andreas knew that he could not allow this, and he slew his father in cold blood.

Despite his inner demons and rage, Andreas was not a fool. He was careful with his ways, trying to take down important people in relation to these good faiths. It however quickly caught up to him. When he was trying murder an influential churchgoer in an ally, a patrol of the town guards found him and took him by surprise.

Although Andreas was not proven guilty for the other murders he had committed in the past, he was guilty of attempted murder and sent to prison...

Personality:

Andreas Durandal is rough around the edges and can be a bit hard to deal with at times, but he understands the uses of allies of a common goal and is fiercely loyal to them if they are worshipers of Asmodeus. He is direct and blunt, he doesn’t like to pussyfoot around, but he is not stupid. When he starts to get angry, he usually goes silent, focusing his anger and deciding on a way best to direct his fury. Andreas is either possessed or influenced somehow by a demon and that is where he required his "rage." He is the the traditioanl, 'tribal' barbarian. Instead of urges, I'm ok with having the demon actually speaking to him if you'd like

Dotting, I'm quite interested in playing an imp. I'll get a complete application together soon... but I want to throw out my favorite villains from RL and fiction to spark conversation. I think that was a brilliant part of the application process!

Do worship of different devils count as single faith for the cavalier of the star order .

I'd say for Order of the Star - upholding the worship of Asmodeus should be the umbrella goal; though if you want you can flavor it down to some of the minor entities below that. eg. upholding Asmodeus, but at the same time being a direct worshipper of Moloch for example. Hell is the ultimate pyramid scheme - so propping up the lower levels is the same as propping up the top.

Albina Mariposa ('white butterfly'), a thin pale young upper-class woman who has fallen into diabolatry (and drug use, among other fashionable peccadillos of the jaded youth). Either cleric of Asmodeus, or, possibly, synthesist Summoner (who sees her power as the ability to call up a devil to possess herself and manifest through her body). In either case, she'll have a high Charisma, and be more inclined to bluff or manipulate her way out of situations, if possible.

Favorite Villain? Dr. Doom. He's genteel, when called for, honorable, by his own standards, willing to work with enemies that he respects, and yet utterly megalomaniacal, and uses his mission to rescue his mother's soul from damnation as an excuse to justify the means to his end. Plus he's obsessed with humiliating the guy who warned him how badly he was screwing up, and had the temerity to be right... He not only refuses to own up to his own mistakes, the writers of the comics introduced 'doombots' (robot duplicates that are programmed to believe that they are him, when he's not around) to retcon/rationalize any published instances of him getting beat-down too badly (oh, it was just one of his robots! Really!).

About the only trait Albina would share with Victor Von is a tendency to blame others for her own failings, although the thought of having the cleric version take craft arms & armor and heavy armor proficiency and make herself a suit of armor that somehow magically enhances her fire bolt Domain power could be amusing...

I thank you all for the interest shown thus far, and look forward to more apps as time passes. I'll let the list grow slightly before starting to go through and ask questions, etc. I'll also collate a list when I get up tomorrow my time.

I am always willing and available to answer any queries that you may have.

Also - figuring that it isn't fair for me to ask of you that which I do not give myself. Here's a short-list of villains I do not necessarily admire - but they have serious traction with my memory:
Herr Starr: from the Preacher comics. Specifically his drive and determination, and respect solely for his goals and no-one elses.
Obadiah Hakeswill: from the Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell, and the TV series adaptation played by Pete Postlethwait. This is an example of a truly loathsome character that was memorable in so many ways - for his vileness, personality quirks, and means of cheating death.
Ba'al: from Stargate SG-1 TV Series. Played by a great South African actor, and his character was atypical for a gao'uld. I enjoyed the antagonistic relationship with RDA, and the smarmy smirking evil approach.
SHODAN / The Many: from System Shock 1 and 2 computer games. Truly well delivered villains, omnipotent and taunting throughout. When you need to play a video game with the lights on - it's a good start.

For those considering the devil-ish path; remember that the imp or gaav is only your first form. If you do well by Asmodeus, then you could very well be promoted within the ranks of devilkind to a more advanced form - hamatula, osyluth, erinyes, etc. during the course of the AP.

Favorite Villains:
Darth Vader -- You never get over your first real bad guy. I saw Ep. IV in the theaters when I was five. Not too long ago, my mom showed me samples of my kindergarten art she saved. Basically all of it is of Imperial Star Destroyers. "Now I am the master."

Ernst Stavro Blofeld -- The man with the white cat and head of SPECTRE -- the best named villainous organization ever. This man really is the model for anyone who wants to run an evil organization. Packs of ruthless thugs - check. Hidden base inside extinct volcano -- check. Japanese garden with bridge that drops you into a piranha tank -- check. The man has so much to teach us.

Mr. Kurtz -- The man at the center of the Heart of Darkness. In Europe a man of refinement and culture with a charming fiance'. In Africa, a man with a head collection. Truly his methods seem "unsound" even today. And as good as the book is, I like him even better played by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now.

I am Haruk's former DM and while I don't currently have time to give a worthy performance from the DM's side of the table, I wouldnt mind giving it a bash from the player's side. I'll have a character up for perusal by the end of the day.

Future Class looking at Bard (Sandman) From APG to go with his desire to corrupt those loyal to the country or other religions to his cause

Feats/Traits - Want to check Faiths of Corruption which I don't have available right now to check out what might be in there before picking, but it would further his goals of subverting the faithful. After he gets some bard levels he might steer towards some spell casting feats.
May also take Ability focus on the poison sting if allowed. (To up the DC by +2)

backstory/crime:

Qixtaz is a nasty little thing looking to corrupt those to follow Asmodeus or in the very least get those to strengthen his cause. Its not enough for him to just force someone into doing what he wants, his ultimate goal is making his marks want to do it. Qixtaz loves a good long con when he can do it as that usually provides the best outcomes.

Qixtaz tries to present himself as a weak and miserable thing, yet useful to those around him. Only when it is too late will he reveal what he can really do.

Qixtaz tried to convert an official of the government but miscalculated and was caught for sedition (or something like that)

My favorite villans are Ben Linus from Lost and Scorpius from Farscape. I love when you know they are bad but can still at times almost make you believe (or do make you believe they are trying to do the right thing and then get blindsided. Also I like the villians willing to put themselves in harms way or aid the good guys in the short run to further their goals in the long run.

This is an alternate take on a character I already play in a Kingmaker campaign – a Paladin of Erastil. She was on the precipice of darkness when she found her faith - what if that had never happened? Without Erastil to heal her conscience, who would she have become?

Beatrix

1. Stat breakdown
Str 18
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 14
2. Class and Race
Human Fighter - Two Handed Weapon archetype
3. Skills, Feats and traits summary
Feats: focusing on fighting with Greatsword
Skills: intimidate, survival
Traits: Militia Veteran, Armor Expert
4. Basic backstory / personality
Beatrix was raised in the grasslands, a hardy daughter of farmers. Her brothers handled most of the work, and as she would be passed for any sizable inheritance, she left home to earn a living. At first it was simple guard jobs or escorting caravans, but she quickly found a place in the city guard before finally becoming a soldier.

Beatrix is sullen and cold, and utterly without pity or mercy. Her way of dealing with PTSD was to lock away her feelings, and she’s now numbed her emotions to the point that she feels very little anymore.
5. Details of your crime and how you were caught.
Her platoon was sent to deal with a revolt in a small village, and upon arriving was ordered to burn the buildings and kill all inhabitants. Following orders, Bea and her companions slaughtered women and children as well as men who put up no resistance.

The guilt tore her apart. Rivers of blood tormented her dreams nightly, and she would be found furiously washing invisible blood from her hands. Unable to continue, she slipped out of camp one night and fled her company. She wandered for weeks but was unable to hold any job and was finally picked up while trying to steal a loaf of bread from a bakery. A constable recognized her as a deserter and she was sent for holding before execution.
6. Favorite Villain from real life or fiction; and why?
The operative from Serenity. He's a believable character who truly believes in his cause - he thinks what he's doing is right, which makes him all the more dangerous.

Question: How far up the Devilish heiarchy do you feel one can rise? Need at least a rough idea of where I might take Haruk were I to go that route.

Favorite villians:

Vader, for all the reasons listed above plus he has the best, most iconic theme music for any villian, ever.

Also, when I hear my black hoodie and trench coat people tell me I look like Vader.

Magneto, who is no longer a villian and in my eyes never really was. However the man is so driven and badass, he literally took the whole planet earth hostage and threatened to push earth off its axis if mutantkind weren't given their own nation.

Dotting. Thinking a tiefling rogue (will work on submission).
Favorite villains: Vader and Keyser Soze (Usual Suspects) - love the way the guy is feared, manipulates everyone, is not afraid to get his hands dirty, and on top of that, has +25 on his disguise rolls!

Name: Ka'sar (seeker of dragons)
Introductions are in order. My name is Ka'sar which roughly translates to seeker of the dragons. No, I am no dragon hunter, but I often found myself in trouble in my younger days so people often joked that I was seeking the dragon. Well considering my current situation I guess I am in trouble now.

I guess if you are reading this you are curious as to how I came to be in this predicament. Well let me explain. I grew up poor, an only child, whose parents barely made enough money to send me to school. I was well like, and I was a good student, but I never liked being a member of the lower caste. Yes I said caste. You see there are those who are meant to rule, those who are enforce the rules, and those that are ruled. I had not desire to be in that 3rd category. Luckily I was able to make friends with a young human male named Rythor who had grown tired of "being kept captive", as he called it by his overbearing father. When I went on my mini adventures pretending to be a criminal, while committing real but petty crimes such as stealing loaves of bread, and coins he was right there with me. I was only a young lad of about 10, and the importance of that friendship would not be realized until much later.

Later on as people are apt to do we grew out of such things. People are less forgiving of you when you get older, and it really was not worth the trouble. I got a job at a the local library after graduating school. The pay was not bad, but for me I did it because I got free access to books, and I would be allowed to come in early, and stay late. The topics of history, and the planes was always intriguing to me. I heard enough about Mitra, that the topic would start to irritate me. Mitra, Mitra, Mitra, if I never heard the name again I would be all to happy. Oh yes, back to topic at hand. After about a 2 years at the library I got promoted. I now had keys to the library, and I often spent as much time there as I did at home. My father was so proud. I can still hear his voice. "Oh son you have done so well.....". I drowned him out after that because I knew he was saying that should be my career. I was just as capable, if not more so than many people born into a more advantageous position, and the thought of being a librarian, catering to the common folk annoyed me to no end. I had to find a way out.

Well here is where my friendship with Rythor becomes a stepping stone. He enlisted as a member of the army. Within two years he was a sargeant, and a banquet was held at his father's residence in honor of the promotion. As a childhood friend I was invited. I often wonder how that would have went had he known his son and I were once little hoodlums. Well anyway, I got to talking to the old man about life and other topics. He asked why a capable man such as myself did not join the military. It paid better than my current job, and I could gain some manner of prestige if I did well. After thinking on it I went to visit him again, and after talking, and a few drink he said he could get me in son's unit by pulling some strings. All I had to do was pass the training course. I agreed and graduated 3rd in class overall.

I was further trained as a medic, which for some reason included the study of religion. I did get to study less acceptable religions as well however. That led to me becoming acquanted with the denziens of Hell. A place where one could rise and fall by his own merit, as long as he could avoid being stabbed in the back that is, but since being vigilant is often a requirement for successs I guess it is not all that bad.

We now get to fast foward two more years. My buddy Rythor is getting promoted again. He is about to pick up the rank of leutenant, and guess who they chose to step into his old seargent position? Me. The jealousy withing the unit was more powerful than anything I had ever felt. While I did receive perks from bring Rythor's friend I did out perform everyone in the group in most task. I was never late, never got into trouble. I was basically a model soldier. Well I could have gotten better with my actual combat skills, but I was a medic. Fighting is not my focus. It seems others made it their focus to correct what was wrong.

We had a training mission that involved us staying out in the field. On the way home we were ambushed. Rythor was the first to fall. Our assailents were masked so other than the ones we killed there was no clue. Well almost no clue. As the assailant were leaving one of them shouted "Let's see if you can help Rythor as much as he has helped you." I knew right then what had happened. For the first time in my life I lost someone who was close to me. S As much as it hurt me Rythor's father was affected even more so. He lost the will to live, it seems, and died about 3 months later. I was demoted for not protecting my commanding officer. After many months of investigations those involved, even though I am sure it was not all of them were tried and convicted. My rank was not returned however. It seems that the letter of the law had been manipulated, and manipulated well. Allowing a commander to fall is a serious offense, even when it is not your fault.
It goes without saying that I became a bitter individual. I found out who had caused the death of my friend by investigating on my own. I could not strike directly though. The perpetrator was a high ranking member of the goverment, whose son was in my unit. I wanted to kill him, but that was not good enough. I decided that he should feel my pain. To make a long story short I had his son meet the same fate my friend did. Much like I had tracked him down he began to uncover clues as to what happened to his son. I figured he had to be "taken care of" also.

Not wanting to bore you with details I hired a fairly attractive woman to get to know him. This led to them having a date at a popular resturant. I almost forgot to mention that I was on vacation for about a week. I pretended to have an interest in learning how to cook, and told the owner that I would work for free. He took the bait. I then placed no small amount of poison in the wine that was ordered by my intended victim. It seems that the waitor mixed the drinks up, and due to that error, and my bad decision to stick around to watch him die, that I could not leave the building before the authorities arrive. Upon seeing me the look in his eyes let me know he put all the peices together.

I had no proof of his involvement in my friend's death, nor the money to pay a good lawyer. The trial was a foregone conclusion, and I knew it. I lost it in the courtroom, and I cursed the nation, everyone it, and Mitra. I spoke of terrible things and wished them upon everyone in the courroom. In return I was cursed, really cursed. Everytime I tried to speak my words came out garbled so that I may never utter such things again.

As I sat in my cell my hatred grew. I would do anything to gain vengance. It seemed as though my thoughts were heard. A strange creature appeared in my cell. It offered me the chance to become powerful enough, if I would agree to serve hell. Seeing my alternative, and my desire to bring the entire nation down I readily agreed. The curse was partially removed, and divine powers were granted to me so that I may futher my interest, and those of hell.

Appearance: Ka'sar is about 6 feet tall 190 pounds. He has dark skin, and black curly hair with brown eyes. He is considered to be somewhat attractive to most females. Across his right eyebrow is a permanent scar from the attack that killed Rythor.

Personality: He is devious, manipulaive, and proud, and that was before Rythor was killed. He does however believe in a system of order and loyalty. He is not quick to anger, but when angered he does hold grudges. He holds those in high esteem who are willing to do the work that is needed in order to excel, and he looks down on those who are lazy, but an occasional shortcut here and there is fine. He looks upon Iaozrael the Archduke as his source of inspiration.

Crimes :He has spoken out against the church in public, killed someone, and is guilty of attepted murder. I am happy with whatever crime you choose to give the most weight to.

By the time I had feats, race, and stats chosen I pretty much had full build so here it is.

--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Elf Blood You are counted as both elves and humans for any effect relating to race.
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to Sleep effects.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Tongues: Celestial You can only understand and speak one language in combat.

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Favorite Villain from real life or fiction; and why?

I don't have one favorite. I like Magneto because he is intelligent and decisive. He is evil, but not for the sake of evil. He feels like he has no choice, but to put those pesky humans in their place:)
I also like Artemis Entreri before Jaraxle made him start to how emotion. He would kill someone and it would not bother him. He was almost machine-like. Someone that cold is not to be fooled with.
There a character on the TV show Battlestar Galactica, Gaius Baltar. The man is charasmatic, and intelligent. He is also the most selfish character I have ever seen. Even when he thinks he is doing the right thing, in the end it is self-serving. I don't think he intends to be evil, and some may say he is not, but to I can't see him as anything, but evil.

Here is my tiefling rogue with the Infernal Bastard trait from CoT to tone down his abilities. Already answered the favorite villain question above.

Background:

Calixas was the result of a renowned priestess of Asmodeus (Isadra) mating with a devil from Hell. He knew he was different from the beginning, his ram-horns and his glowing yellow eyes betrayed his parentage. However, he acclimated to life under Asmodean rule and had a happy childhood, despite the numerous escapes in the middle of the night, as the worship of the Hell ruler was explicitly banned. However, when he was 8, during a raid, his mother was captured by priests from the Church of Mitra. He managed to escape only through the assistance of one of her handmaidens. Calixas' mother was publicly executed as an example to all Asmodeus worshipers. He watched from afar as they chopped off her limbs and set her on fire. The smell of her burnt flesh remains scarred in his brain. From that day on, he swore vengeance on the Church of Mitra and the Kingdom that backed her worship. Calixas left the worship of Asmodeus behind and instead fell into a life of crime among the slums of the kingdom, there learning the illicit trade of thieves and assassins. He got real good fighting with knives and killing became second nature. When he turned 18, he decided to start his path of vengeance and targeted a priest of Mitra. Using his exceptional skills and his ability to see in complete darkness, Calixas snuck in and planned on murdering the priest while he slept, when the priest's acolyte unexpectedly came in. Calixas had the option of fleeing to fight another day or killing the priest and living with the consequences. In that split second, Calixas chose the latter and buried his dagger in the priest's throat, killing him instantly. The acolyte yelled for help and the deft rogue could not escape capture from the temple guards. He now faces death by beheading for his crime but he does not regret his decision. He only waits for an opportunity to escape and continue his vendetta.

Personality:

Calixas is a vengeful person and has a deep hatred of priests and followers of Mitra for their role in his mother's death. He is deadly with knives and if he survives long enough, strives to gain the notice of an assassin's guild one day. As all devils, he has a silver tongue and is quite charming, as he tries to lull his victims into a fall sense of security before pouncing. If possible, he prefers to fight in complete darkness, where he feels most comfortable. He will work with others if it furthers his goal of vengeance. He longs to see the Church of Mitra burn, just as his mother did!

Would Baalzebul allow a cleric to be an Undead Lord? I don't have much source material on him, but He's got the death Domain.

need to work up the stats and traits and stuff, but

story:

He was devil-worshiping lover of a NE cleric of Ugrotha. She saw his talent for cruilty and sought to convert him, to no avail, and he saw her understanding and insight into undeath and sought to leann as much as he could from her. She eventually tired of him, and his faith, and tried to kill him.

Well prepared for this, he slew her. It was not this that he was arrested for, because he revealed her as a creator of undead, no, it was when he dug up her corpse and animated it as his first Corpse Companion that he was found out, and sentenced!

He's for a birthmark that basically marked him at birth as a servant of Baalzebul, and he had no issue digging up his lover's corpse, and making it into a Zombie (as not to waste what was left of her lovely flesh) (BIrthmark and Jaded)

He's always been irked by the existence of Orcus as the Fiendish lord of Undeath, but as That is his area of understanding and passion, he seeks to use that to serve Baalzebul, and expand his realm f influence and acclaim.

Otherwise, I like the idea of a LE alchemist that aims to go Master Chymist

Doc:

He's an intelegent alchemist, and a bit of a sociopath, but he likes manipulating rules and using them against those that are bound by them.
His other-side is a fiendish monstrosity who's greatest urge is to reek havoc and destruction for the glory of the dark prince.
I'm actually thinking that Rage Mutagen would make sense for this character, showing that his other-side is even more violent and destructive.

It was while using his mutagen while in an already altered state that he went roving along, dressed t the nines, and strolled into a home mercilessly slaughtering the family within. He hardly recalled the events when he awoke, hung-over and in prison, yet despite his best efforts, he was convicted.

I liked Xanidos, not sure if it was cause he was clever, i liked his voice, or cause Gargoyles was just an awesome show when i was a kid, but yeah, He's cool.

gonna work out stats and stuff when i get a chance this week, but i'd like to know which one works...

Definitely interested in this campaign, it sounds very cool, and though you've excluded my previous character idea (Cleric of Lamashtu), you have instead provided an interesting alternative with the Gaav.

One question about the Gaav and Imp options. Will there be an opportunity if/when they are 'upgraded' to retrain feats at all? Or similarly will stats change? Will the character loose all of it's former spell-likes and other abilities (including possibly class levels) in exchange for the new abilities and hit-dice, or will there be a blending? I expect you can't give any firm answers as each change is likely to be unique, but some more info would be appreciated :)

Mi’Dre, the Gaav

Stats:

Stats: Str 19, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6
Class/Race: Gaav named Mi’Dre. Though he would greatly desire to reach the lofty heights of the Pit Fiends and Puragaus (Immolation Devil), his (slightly) more humble aspirations are to one day attain the rank of Cornugon. I see him progressing to this possibly through an intermediate upgrade to a Magaav, and/or Rogue or Fighter levels.

Mi’Dre stands charged with Blasphemy (by merely existing), Desecration, and Murder, all accomplished, more or less in the one go. Sent to the material plane to collect on a minor contract with a young Diabolist Mi’Dre has not been long in Talingarde; mere weeks. In that time however he has grown to despise the place and would like nothing more than the opportunity to tear it’s cities and churches to the ground and watch it all burn.

Of course he couldn’t quite hope to accomplish such a thing on his own-a fact which he was vary aware of, lacking the support of his fellow kind as he was accustomed to-he nevertheless did his best, discovering that the Diabolist had apparently experienced a change of heart, and renounced his wicked ways to shelter behind the armored flank of Iomedae.

Forced to result to subtlety Mi’Dre watched the young acolyte and the goings on of the temple, patiently waiting for his opportunity. He struck at night, sneaking into the Acolyte’s chamber and slew him. He then set about the fun portion of the night, which he really should have known better than to indulge in.

He hadn’t quite finished his art piece when the temple began to awaken, and when they found the desecrated statue, they didn’t much seem to appreciate Mi’Dre’s work with the acolyte’s blood and intestines. Before he could escape the stout warriors of Imoedae shot him, leaving his wings damaged, and the spiteful devil crawling across the floor, smearing a trail of viscera and gore until the warriors closed in and knocked him out. He awoke later to find his wings severed completely, and his body in chains, being taken to pay for his crimes.

Personality/Motivation:

Ever since he was formed from the mindless lemure Mi’Dre has sought to improve his station. Full of spite and jealousy he yearns to one day descend to Malebolge, the Sixth level of Hell and there wage endless war at the bidding of Moloch. His only desire until now has been to one day become one of the Archdevil’s elite Cornugon, and all it entails. To that end he accepted the lone task of travelling to Talingarde, centre of good to slay the diabolist so that his soul would be released to it’s bargained destination. Now that he has been caught however, and with escape a distant prospect he awaits what will happen next...

Villainy:

As for favorite villain well... I suck at these questions :p Vizzini from Princess Bride comes to mind, but that may just be because of how awesome that story/movie is and some memorable quotes... Sephiroth from FFVII (still my favourite FF, though I haven’t played many of the preceding games) was always a great antagonist, Heath Ledger’s Joker (and Joker in general) was incredible, both in creepyness and villany. I’m sure I could come up with more but those sprung immediately to mind. Oh, and Saruman; a very cool character and well executed by Tolkein.

Oh I know. Jigsaw. It took me a while to get over my squeamishness, but once I'd watched those... just incredible. That's a mastermind.

Hellow hello. I'm the one who is playing the summoner. To give everyone an idea of what is already there I'll make a submission post for your benefit.

Story:

Shendalyn Shawn's family comes from a long line of Aroden worshipers (turned to Iomedae after his death) who fled to Talingarde during the empires civil war to escape the predations and persecution of the rising diabolists.

From their the house suffered a slow and painful death as each generation fell into squandering its money in hopeless escapades into toppling House Thrune and returning to Cheliax. As the years went on only Shendalyn, the bastard son of the house patriarch and a calistrian prostitute, was eligible to head the house.

At first this did not seem like such a bad deal for the house. Intelligent, charming, and as physically apt as any male the house has ever had Shendalyn fell madly in love with and married a beautiful and equally intelligent noblewoman whose business sense might have dragged the house out of the mountains of debt it had accumulated over the years.

She died tragically during the labor of their first child, and with her his son.

This marked the beginning of the final end to the House of Shawn and of Shendalyn himself. He took to drinking, gambling, taking drugs, performing all sorts of death defying risks and forbidden pleasures in some poor attempt to maintain some semblance of life. To him, when his dearest Shaya died his life ended as well. He was a walking corpse getting into fights in the street only to wake up bloodied, bruised, and suffering a serious hang over just before releasing his frustrations in the nearest brothrel.

Some years passed as he was forced to sell off mroe and more of his families assets to feed his habits until one day he decided to take up an even more dangerous hobby; the summoning of devils and the worship of Asmodeus.

It was small for the most part, a Lemure here, a Fiendish Hunting Eagle there. But then, as the rituals increased in complexity so too did his dark desires. He started summoning more pwoerful devils, more exotic lovers and solving petty vengeances with dark magic. It was after a long and sweaty night satisfying dark pleasures with a pair of erinyes's that one whispered into his ear.

"You can have her back you know. Our lord has the power, he can pluck her soul from the river of souls itself and save her for you, preserve her, perhaps, if you serve well, even resurrect her for you. All you have to do is open yourself up to us. Let the legions of hell loose to restore order to this chaotic realm. Would you do that? Would you do that for her?"

How could he refuse?

It took nearly the entirety of what was left of his family's fortune and hours of trial and error but with instruction from his infernal tutors he finally perfeceted the ritual that would turn him into a living portal, a vessel for the power of hell.

When it was done he was covered in blood with fell voices in his head surrounded by fearful guards. All around him were the chewed, mutilated, and butchered remains of his servants and family members. On the walls were infernal inscriptions written in blood and in the surrounding village hundreds of people turned up missing as others described terrible monsters fleeing from the manor and into the wilderness.

It did not take long for town criers to let all of Taligarde know of Shawn the Butch, Shawn the Blasphemer, Shawn the Devil, and Shawn the Cannibal. This event was one that helped trigger the asmodean scourge. Despite the danger they have saved Shendalyn's execution for a very special and very public spectacle. This may prove to be the folly that desotroys them utterly.

For now Sendalyn is a haunted and broken man who flips from manic glee one moment, charming noble the next, and rampaging demon in moments. He is handsome with a wiry and athletic build as much a legacy of his families history as swordsman as his elven heritage.

As far as class goes he will be a summoner though I'm inclined towards making a melee summoner. The exact nature (archetypes and such) will depend mainly on what the group looks like.

Favorite Villains:

Gerald Tarrant from the coldfire trilogy. This man has a very similar story to Shendalyn. Except his sacrifice for power was not born out of loneliness and despair but ego and the fear of death.

Yawgmoth from Magic: The Gathering: In a setting where powerful mages are like unto gods Yawgmoth essentially became a god by slowly but surely transforming himself into more and more evolved entities until he became a creature of pure black mana and evil.

Dotting for interest, character up as soon as I'm able, thinking of going down the Anti-Paladin route. A quick question, would you allow a Hellknight as a prestige class? It's from the Inner Sea World Guide, I believe.

Albina was born prematurely after a difficult birth that required healing magic for both herself and her mother, and left both child and mother suffering lasting weakness. Her father, a prominent merchant, spent much coin to the temple of Iomedae to pay for healing services, but a lingering malaise continued to sap his wife’s vitality, and he found himself increasingly frustrated, as he had parted with such coin in the hopes of having a son to inherit his business. Instead, he had a wife too weak to again undergo the rigors of childbirth, and a sickly girl child, who seemed perpetually on the brink of death.

Albina grew up in seclusion, as exposure to others seemed to almost inevitably be followed by a new ailment, with expensive magical treatments the only remedy. Tongues wagged, and she developed something of a reputation as an exotic beauty, hidden away by her father to prevent her from being harassed, or possibly even abducted, rumors which her father, desperate to salvage at least an advantageous marriage for his sickly daughter, cunningly encouraged.

An elderly tutor, long ago a devotee of Asmodeus, but having long since concealed the faith of his youth, dragged into digression by strong drink and the flirtatious charms of a girl now on the cusp of womanhood, waxed eloquent about a radical theory that the divine magic used at the moment of her birth may have defied fate, and brought her alive into the world, when there was only life allotted for a single soul, that of her mother, causing the spiritual essence of her mother to be split between mother and child, leaving each with only half the strength and health that they should possess. Albina encouraged the absent-minded scholar to dismiss such talk as nonsense, insisting that nobody could defy the will of the gods in such a manner.

But wheels had been set turning, and dark dreams half-glimpsed among the flame of dancing candles led her to a dark theory.

Albina capitalized on her reputation among the local house servants to seduce a young clerk who worked for her father, allowing him rare glimpses of the ‘secret beauty’ that was confined to the upper levels of their home, eventually feeding him many lies. She told him that her father had been grooming him to take over the business, and that he intended for them to marry, so that he would inherit the family name and holdings, but that her mother greatly disapproved and was the only barrier to their love…

It took only a few weeks, and some sampling of the ‘medicines’ that her mother took to get her through the day, to convince the naïve young lad to murder her mother, so that they could consummate their love. Albina had come to believe that her mother’s death would release the life-energy that they shared between them to restore her own vitality to that of a normal girl, and so tricked her would-be lover to slit her mother’s wrists as she lay in a drugged stupor, making it appear that she had committed suicide.

While giving her mother a drug that left her adrift in a slumbering state, Albina had also given her paramour a vitalizing elixir that she and her mother used to energize themselves for public appearances, leaving him agitated and jumpy, so that when she betrayed him by calling for her father to save her mother from the ‘assassin,’ he reacted as predicted and sliced at her as well. Her father entered his wife’s room to find his young clerk standing over his daughter and wife, bloodied dagger in his hand. Albina’s plan was for her father to ‘save’ her from the ‘assassin,’ and kill him in the process, but the clerk managed to wound her father and flee the building, leading to an extended investigation, and her eventual complicity being uncovered by the authorities.

The only part of her plan that had succeeded was that the death of her mother indeed resulted in a rush of energy, greater than any drug she had taken to strengthen her resolve or lend vitality to her movements, as if her mother’s life-force had indeed joined her own, making her, for the first time in life, a whole person, no longer as frail as a child.

During the trial, Albina did herself no favors, drunk on her newfound vitality, and unable to accept the unfairness that now, on the verge of finally being able to live, that some feckless so-called authorities could sentence her to death…

At first, it seemed that murder would be the crime that doomed her, but she went a step further and openly praised the dark forces of Asmodeus for saving her, when the church of Iomedae only kept her and her mother weak and dependent on constant healing, and constant donations of money, to remain alive. And so she signed her own death-warrant, blaspheming in open court and committing the capital crimes of heresy and consorting with dark powers.

While she is notably stronger and more healthy than she was just months before, Albina remains pale and slender, and uses cosmetics to accentuate her pallor. Her hair is black and hangs straight behind her, while she affects a languid demeanor, having grown up accustomed to only being able to stand briefly, and being waited on hand and foot, due to her diminished vitality.

Albina is headstrong and selfish, finding the obsession with law and order to perhaps be part of the foolishness that led to the church of Asmodeus being supplanted by his lawful good rivals, trapped by his own honorable strictures and unable to engage in the practical and ruthless sorts of counter-attacks that could have prevented the purge.

Ok - first things first, collation of entries thus far, then I'll turn to the questions and read over what people have put in thus far. Apologies if I've missed anything or gotten it misrepresented below...

@Josh Shrader:
I'd have to say no to Achaekek - as he sits apart from the hierarchy of devilry. But I'm perfectly fine with the Red Mantis Assassin prestige - we'd just reflavor to another patron (such as Asmodeus).

@Monkeygod:
As a general rule of thumb - you can expect to eventually advance up to devil of CR up to about 16-17. Though that would be right at the end of the AP, so you wouldn't get to enjoy that form for very long.
I'd suggest a more reasonable top end target would be in the CR 8-12 range. That would provide a chance for a couple of steps along the way, and get you to enjoy your final devil form for an extensive part of the AP.

@Lucendar:
Infernal Bastard trait is fine by me; though you can be straight Tiefling as well if you wish.

@waiph:
Baalzebul would be a possible for an Undead Lord.
There is also an Infernal Duke Ruzel who has Undeath as one of his areas of concern. There is very little information on him directly, so feel free to ascribe what you'd like.
I'd ask you to settle on only a single submission though.

@I know Magic!:
The imp comes in built with change shape so can be disguised as a small animal or the like. Imps are too small to be adequately disguised as a halfling. But you would be imprisoned in your natural form, and the prison would be aware of your shapechanging ability.

@Peanuts:
I would lean towards the character being remade when it receives a devilish promotion. That is to re-choose all feats and skills, abilities, etc. Attributes I'd need to think on for a while (modifiers obviously change) - I wouldn't really want wholesale changes, but some re-jigging might be ok.

Next step will be to read into each character and ask any questions that come to mind :)

Ok, I had my character about 1/2 finished. I went to save it and got transferred to the damn store page. Will have to redo everything - grrr.

Here are the mini-basics.

LE Human Female Witch

Favorite Villan - probably Stromberg from Bond's The Spy Who Loved Me - gotta like him just dropping everyone into a shark tank. Perhaps not original, but his uncaring attitude is great. I also like Damon Killian from Running Man - gotta love someone who turns brutal murder into a televised game for gambling.

One of the greatest villains that I recall was a character from the Dragonlance novels that my GM use as one of the main NPCs of his campaign in that world. The guy was cool in the books but became epic in our adventure. He managed to turn our party's mage from white robes to black during the course of the campaign. Dalamar, former apprenticed of Raistlin Majere and head of the black robes of the Magic Conclave.

Dalamar
"Hello Vox, I brought your new vestment."
Vox: Afraid.
You! I have told you before, I will not wear the black!
Dalamar: Smiling
Now come Vox, after all you have done? You have no other choice. Black is the only color that never get stained with blood."

Ok, now to some follow-up questions on what's come in thus far. Please don't read anything in to this with respect to relative chances. I've spoilered them below primarily for length.

Black Jack:

1. If possible, could you please post the details I've requested in a spoiler under this thread? - I just find it easier to review when I can keep things in just a single window.
2. Your backstory has a phrase 'By the Dark Lord's trident' - where is that from?
3. One of the requests was for each character to have a tie to devilry in some manner. I didn't see where that comes into your background - could you elaborate on that specific point?

jlord:

1. Why did Andreas father attempt to summon the devil? - and how was the sacrifice hidden from the general public?
2. For clarity - can you confirm that the intent is for your character to harbor a demon (CE outsider) influence within? - how would you reconcile that with serving Asmodeus (LE outsider)?
3. What is it about the Joker and Kefka is it that appeals to you?

David James Olsen:

1. Is Imp the form of choice for the full PbP? - or do you aspire to a higher level of devilkind?
2. How did Qixtaz get drawn to the prime initially? - and how did he get free of his initial summoner?

Count Buggula:

1. I'm having a bit of trouble having your character feeling tangible guilt at their actions - then also throwing straight in with a group of villains that will do far worse. Could you clarify what her frame of mind is now, and why she would break out to be a devout servant of Asmodeus?
2. One of the requests was for each character to have a tie to devilry in some manner. I didn't see where that comes into your background - could you elaborate on that specific point?

Mr Swagger:

1. Can you confirm what Ka'sar's oracle mystery is?
2. For reference, Mitra is being expunged for Iomedae and Erastil in this version.

Lucendar:

For reference, Mitra is being expunged for Iomedae and Erastil in this version. No other questions right now.

Peanuts:

No questions at this time, background read and enjoyed ;)

Set:

1. I like the ties to drug use - are you comfortable with starting under effects of addiction? (not required, just wondering)
2. I saw that the young boy you used as killer survived? - with your permission, if selected, I may just use that ;)

Tsorvak grew up with in Isger. He wasn't sure how his parents died--he couldn't remember and no one knew--but it didn't matter because he had what he needed in the Sisters of Erinyes--a group of female monks hoping to become erinyes when they died. They took him in as a young child and taught him in the ways of Asmodeus and local Martial arts. As he grew up, Tsorvak loved the order that following Asmodeus brought to the world and his own life.

Personality:

Tsorvak is very disciplined. He holds tightly to the order in Asmodeus' religion. Some would describe him as a zealot. He is very ambitious. He always obeys those above him, but as he can, he undermines them for their spot of power. He is constantly looking for loopholes in any contract/bargain whatever it may be. His thought being that they are there to support those who are smart enough to find them. His ultimate quest is perfection of power in himself.

Crime:

Tsorvak is guilty of Heresy. When he grew old enough to leave the Sisters, Tsorvak began to move spreading the glory and order of Asmodeus. First he traveled Isger and Cheliax, but soon he decided it was time to move on to better things. He eventually decided that he should go to Talingarde. He knew he had to be subtle about it. But he did not realize how subtle he needed to be. He avoided teaching of Asmodeus, but spoke of the inferiority of Iomedae. It was not long before Tsorvak was caught.

Favorite Villains:
Elan Morin Tedronai/Ishmael/Moridin because he's absolutely insane, and yet his plans are so intricate. Besides that, he managed to become Nae'blis after being killed.
Dark Phoenix because she was my favorite when she was good, and when she turned bad, a)she was awesome, b)it was a super intense period.

1. I took the battle mystery. I thought Herolab would automatically include it. Sorry for not double checking. I also took the tongues curse. The language I chosen when cursed(fighting) is celestial. I figured someone might take infernal, and that would just allow me to not really suffer the effect of the curse.
2. I guess I would have cursed Iomedae then. One of her worshippers would be more likely to have cursed me than Erastil. The way I read him, makes him seem to have more patience.

1. If possible, could you please post the details I've requested in a spoiler under this thread? - I just find it easier to review when I can keep things in just a single window.

Sure, working on it.

2. Your backstory has a phrase 'By the Dark Lord's trident' - where is that from?

Not really sure, maybe i quoted something without realizing but I just kind of made it up. I originally wrote "By the Devil's trident" but when I was adapting Jack for this recruitment I decided to pay Asmodeus some homage. I know Prince of Darkness is one of his titles.

3. One of the requests was for each character to have a tie to devilry in some manner. I didn't see where that comes into your background - could you elaborate on that specific point?

Jack's martial mighty as an antipaladin comes from the dark powers infused into him by the Archdevil when he made his bargain. I will try to work that better into his backstory.